They are: Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd (represented by Friday Davis), Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd (represented by Agbor Baro), Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd (represented by Dioghowori Frederick) and Avalon Global Property Development Ltd (represented by Taiwo Ebenezer).

The companies, along with a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to President Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa, a lawyer Amajuoyi Briggs and a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku, were arraigned at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Dudafa, Briggs and Bolodeoku, however, pleaded not guilty to a 17-count charge before Justice Babs Kuewumi as the companies representatives pleaded guilty.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the accused persons conspired on November 13, 2013 in Lagos to launder $15,591,700.

It said the defendants “reasonably ought to have known that the funds form part of the proceeds of an unlawful act”.

The alleged offence is contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and punishable under Section 15 (3).

Mrs Jonathan had sued EFCC and Skye Bank over the freezing of her bank accounts, demanding N200million in damages.

She said the funds in the accounts of the companies, which pleaded guilty, were hers.

An aide, Sammie Somiari, who deposed to an affidavit on behalf of the former first lady claimed she helped Mrs Jonathan open the accounts.

He said Dudafa, on March 22, 2010 brought two Skye Bank officers, Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, to meet Mrs Jonathan at home, following which she authorised the accounts’ opening and was the sole signatory.

He, however, added that after the five accounts were opened, Mrs Jonathan discovered that Dudafa opened only one of the accounts in her name; the other four were opened in the names of Dudafa’s companies.

According to Somiari, Mrs Jonathan had been operating the accounts after Oshodi promised to change the accounts’ names to hers.

“Since 2010 up until 2014 and thereafter, the applicant (Mrs Jonathan) had been using the cards on the said accounts and operating the said accounts without let or hindrance.

“Even in May, June and July 2016, the applicant traveled overseas for medical treatment and was using the said credit cards abroad up until July 7, 2016 or thereabouts when the cards stopped functioning,” he said.

Mrs Jonathan is urging the court to compel the EFCC to immediately remove the “No Debit Order” placed on her accounts.

Honestly, this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. It’s either Mrs Jonathan is daft to the core, or she is pathological liar or both. How was she able to operate accounts under company names that did not belong to her and she kept operating the Biz accounts illegally for years? Any judge that buys that should have his/her head checked. Ignorance is not a defense in law. By the way, where did she get the money from? this is money that belongs to the Nigerian people though- suffering en mass…

And she had the audacity to sue EFCC for certain funds she claimed belonged to her, knowing that her hands are unclean. What legitimate business did she do to accumulate so much money? Only in Nigeria, reputed to be the most corrupt country, do you see atrocities on such a great magnitude. I beg, which crazy fashion designer sewed that “graduation” outfit she is wearing? Fashion gone mad. Illiteracy is a disease.

@ Tendy so, they should give her the money back and just move on. What do you mean distraction from the government? These are the stolen that put us to situation where we are today. I can’t believe a real patriot will be talking the way you are talking. Are you affected by this recession? you think that money is always there that we can just forget about that and continue ruining the goverment. Please go back to the drawing board and take a course in basic Economics.

She and her wicked husband are nothing but national disgrace and political disaster. President Jonathan, his barbaric wife, and all his political appointees are nothing but thieves, looters, most corrupt, heartless, and criminal politicians that looted our national treasure to bankruptcy despite billions of dollars realized from oil surplus when crude oil was sold for $150 per barrel for straight five years. Jonathan did not only disappointed Nigerian people but he has failed himself before God Almighty. If anyone visit roads, bridges and even electricity supply in the Southeast and Southsouth regions, you will be wondering on what ground did they voted 95% for a failed of six years who did not repair nor build their infrastructures. The Southeast and Southsouth regions have the worse roads in the entire nation yet, people there voted for the looting, mismanagement,embezzlement, and corruption of Jonathan administration to continue. When president Obasanjo was leaving office, our national debt was zero, and he left billions of dollars in Nigerian national treasure. This fact was confirmed by one of Nigerian finest woman and economist-Mrs Ngozi Iweala. To date, she remain the only minister that served all the three PDP presidents without any record of looting kobo. I thank God that she can separate herself from such an highly corrupt master like president Jonathan. When Yaradua sudden dead that paved way to zoologist to assumed the highest office in Nigeria, he left us billions of dollars in our national treasure. But criminal Jonathan left Nigeria with billions of dollars of national debts due to unnecessary borrowing, and he looted the national treasure to bankruptcy with no kobo available to the next administration. That is nothing but the peak unpatriotism of a leader with a dark heart. If EFCC refuses to charge this barbaric looter of a woman to court for looting and money laundering, then PMB admistration will lose its credibility and lose the fight against corruption forever. How can former First lady acquired such amount of billions of naira in 3 Nigerian account and claim ownership when she had no office as first lady or Mama Thief? They have completely ruined Nigeria before handling a sick nation on life support to PMB admistration. They loot, loot, and looTed for no just reasons just and in turn impose unnecessary suffering, hardship, and economy collapse on millions of our people. God Almighty will judge those wicked souls that destroyed our beloved nation. This is a shame of a nation.

JUST THINKING out loud: how come those guys quickly pleaded guilty on first arraignment? This is not how it used to be. I just hope that APC’s EFCC did not influence this plea in order to fast-track the prosecution.